A 21-year-old student slipped on a rocky ravine and fell 300ft to his death while hiking with his girlfriend.
Joel Tranby's partner was able to call for help immediately - but didn't see where he landed in the tragedy in Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Rescue teams were unable to locate Joel after his fall and say he stopped responding before they could get there.
According to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Joel 'fell between 300 and 500ft to the ground around 12:20 p.m'. There's no confirmation for how long it took rescue teams to arrive, but they were able to airlift his girlfriend off the mountain.
Sgt. Tom Speldrich said in a statement Wednesday: “Unfortunately, he stopped responding verbally before searchers arrived. His girlfriend was transported by helicopter off of the mountain, according to family members."
Joel Tranby fell to his death while hiking with his girlfriend and it took rescuers days to locate the body in this deeply wild part of the mountain (Gofundme)The area where Tranby fell is “extremely dangerous” and inaccessible by foot, police said. The report does say that it initially took rescue teams some time to find Tranby, using the Oregon National Guard Blackhawk crew and drones. They had to give up searching the first day but resumed on Tuesday after a ground team of volunteers along with Corvallis Mountain Rescue and Eugene Mountain Rescue assisted.
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Drones were finally able to spot Tranby's body on Wednesday and authorities are currently consulting with experts to see if the body could be safely recovered. “However, extremely loose and steep rocky terrain rendered reaching him on foot impossible,” Public Information Officer Sgt Speldrich said Thursday.
Joel Tranby's body has been located by drones after the young man fell 300-500 feet off the side of a mountain, according to authorities (Joel Tranby / Facebook)
It took days to locate Joel Tranby, after the college student fell off the mountain he was hiking and ended up 300 feet down in a ravine (Gofundme)Lane County SAR personnel “are consulting expert climbers from a number of courses to determine if a recovery mission can be safely conducted,” continued the Sgt, adding: “We are saddened by the loss of life and extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.”
Tranby, of Bend, loved the outdoors and was a major part of his community, his “devastated” family told KTVZ. His friends and fmaily spoke to media about Tranby's life, saying that he was a well-rounded and well-liked individual.
"He's just one of the most amazing kids I've met, for all the years I've been coaching," Eric Martin, head coach of the Mountain View Nordic Ski Team, where Tranby assisted with training sessions after being a part of the team himself for four years.
The North Sister Mountain in Oregon has a particularly dangerous trail that even experienced hikers may slip up on (Wikipedia)"He was managing Chick-Fil-A, going to college full-time, and yet he'd still come to those wax parties and set everything up, take everything down and come to the Saturday practice on his day off," Martin recalled.
April Tranby and her husband David shared this statement Tuesday night with NewsChannel 21:
"Our family is devastated by the loss of Joel. We are thankful for the efforts of Lane and Deschutes County SARs, Civil Air Patrol, law enforcement, friends and family both locally and around the world, and Foundry Church for supporting us and seeking to bring Joel home.
"Joel was doing something he loved, with the person he loved, in the outdoors and we know that brought him joy.
"Joel loved God and put his faith in Him. We are now trusting God for comfort in the days ahead. We continue to pray that his body will be found and ask for privacy at this time so we can heal as a family."
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